1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a method and device for regulating/controlling the output moisture content of tobacco conditioned by a loosening/conditioning and optionally casing (saucing) drum.
2. Description of the Related Art
It is in the tobacco industry, especially in the cigarette industry, that a loosening/conditioning and optionally loosening/conditioning/casing (saucing) drum has the function of loosening the raw tobacco furnished in bales, casing it (also called saucing so that hereinafter casing (saucing) is used) and conditioning it for further steps in the process of preparing the tobacco. Special embodiments of such drums are known, for example, from WO 90/13231, EP-B-0 424 501 and EP-A-0 471 513.
In such a drum, water and/or steam is injected into the tobacco mass contained in the drum, which is supplied to the drum in the form of bales or bale pieces.
A typical embodiment is evident from FIG. 5 of EP-A-0 471 513 wherein the water nozzles are located in the infeed region of the drum and are configured as duplex nozzles introducing a mixture of water and steam. The intention is that the tobacco leaving the drum has an output moisture content of approx. 12% to approx. 16.5%, the precise value depending on the subsequent steps in the method of preparing the tobacco.
Experience has shown that the optimum target value necessary in each case fails to be attained by these known methods, thus resulting in fluctuations in the output moisture content of the tobacco and corresponding problems in subsequent steps in the method of preparing the tobacco.